Index for mechanical account apparatus.



Patented lune 26, I900.

,A. W. THIERKOFF. INDEX FOR MECHANICAL ACCOUNT APPARATUS.

(Application filed. Mar. 6, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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ANTHONY IV. THIERKOFF,

OF BEDDING, CALIFORNIA,

INDEX FOR MECHANICAL ACCOUNT APPARATUS.

s'rncznrcarron forming part of Letters Patent no. 652,411, dated June 26, mod.

Application filed March 6,1900. Serial No. 7,479. (No model;)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTHONY W. THIER- KOFF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Redding, county of Shasta, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Indexes for Mechanical Account Apparatus; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to a means for indexing and finding accounts when carried upon a mechanical drum or like apparatus; and it consists of a means for indicating the account to be found, a means for rotating the drum, and stops by which its rotation will be checked at the point corresponding with the adjustment for the particular account. I

The invention also comprises details of construction,which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an end view of my invention, partially broken away. Fig. 2 is a front view.

This device is especially designed for application to mechanical bill and account carrying apparatus in which the accounts are carried upon rotary drums. Such an apparatus is shown in my former patent, No. 646,509, dated April 3, 1900. In this apparatus the accounts or bills are carried on slips of paper which project through slots in the drum and are suitably clamped in place upon the tabular surfaces formed between the slots. These various bills or accounts being arranged alphabetically, it is desirable to turn to them with the least amount of trouble; and it is the object of my invention to provide such a means or device.

As here shown, Ais a drum of anysuitable dimensions, depending upon the number of accounts to be carried. This drum is provided with the slots A and tabular surfaces A and carries the slips of paper A as in my said former patent, and is preferably journaled horizontally and with convenient relation to a desk resting upon any desired form of support (not shown) and through which its surface may appear or with relation to which it may be otherwise suitably arranged.

The drum. may be rotated in various ways. For the purpose of turning it with relation to my index device I have shown a drum or pulley 2, around which a cord 3 is wound a sufficient number of times to insure the proper frictional hold upon the drum. At one end this cord has a weight 4, which when allowed to act will operate to rotate the rope-dru m. This rope-drum is mounted upon the shaft of the pulley-carrying drum or cylinderA, and upon or in connection with the cylinder is mounted a ratchet-wheel 5. A pawl 6, carried by the pulley 2, is adapted to engage this ratchet, so that the ratchet may be turned in one direction, and the pawl will ride over its teeth; but when the ratchet is turned in the other direction the pawl will engage the teeth. The rope 3 leaving the weight 4 and coiling around the winding-drum 2, as previously described, the other end of the rope is connected with a treadle 7, conveniently located with relation to the desk and drum, so that the operator may place his foot upon the treadle and depress it. This causes the rope-winding drum to turn, thus winding up the rope and raising the Weight-cord, but without acting upon the drum A, because the pawl moves freely over the ratchet-teeth. When the treadle is released, it is allowed to rise, and the weight 4 acting upon the rope-winding drum and through the ratchet and pawl, it acts to turn the pulley-carrying drum A. In order to regulate the turning of this drum so that it will stop at the particular index letter or charac ter desired, I have shown the following device: In suitable relation with the druinA, either upon the surface or upon the ends, as most convenient, are arranged a number of stops or bumpers 8, there being one of these corresponding with each letter or group of a single index. Thus if each letter of the alphabet is represented by a corresponding collection of bills or accountsunder that letter, the drum being sufficiently large for the purpose, there would be as many index stops or bumpers as there were letters. If the drum is sufficiently large and long, the index-letters may be disposed in pairs, thus making thirteen, the accounts being disposed in this case to right and left of the center of the drum. Thus if accounts under H and I are arranged in the same longitudinal space upon the surface of the drum those to the left of the center may fall under II and those to the right under I, and the index and stop device corresponding with these two letters will arrest the drum in its rotation, so that these accounts are in position to be inspected.

Various arrangements may be made to'indicate and operate this device. I have shown a lever 9, movable under a curved rack 10,

having teeth corresponding in position with the various letters or characters of the index and a means for stopping the lever opposite the particular letter of the index which it is desired to find. The stops or bumpers 8 are arranged parallel with each other either upon the face at any particular point from one end to the other of the drum or upon the end of the drum. They are in any event arranged in planes out of line with each other, and the lever 9 also carries a brake or stop device, as at 11, which is actuated in unison with the lever 9, so that when the lever is moved to any letter of the index the brake or stop upon 11 will be correspondingly moved to the line of the stop or bumper 8 which corresponds with that letter.

The operation would then be as follows: The lever 9 being shifted to the particular letter of the index which it is desired to inspect, the stop 11 will stand in line with the lug 8 corresponding with that letter and will not touch any other lug while in that position. The foot being placed upon the footlever '7, the cord 3 is moved, the weight 4 raised, and when the foot is taken off the lever the pawl 6 acts-upon the ratchet 5, and this revolves the drum A, the revolution continuinguntil the particular stop or bumper 8 is arrested against the stop 11. The accounts desired will then be found in position with relation to the desk for ready inspection. Any other letter or account can be turned to in the same manner by first moving the lever 9 to the desired point, and the stop. or equivalent device will be brought into line with the particular lug or bumper 8 which corresponds with the account sought. Thus the apparatus can be instantly moved and caused to stop at any account without any especial study of it while it is revolving.

-I do not desire to limit my device to any especial location or arrangement ofthe parts by which the operation is effected, as it will be manifest that these maybe changed Without materially altering the character of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim asnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- I 1. The combination with a rotatable carrier for bills and accounts having projections on the exterior thereof out of alinement with each other, of an index fixed with relation to the carrier to correspondwith said accounts, a lever movable with relation to said index and accounts, and means carried by the lever and adapted to engage said projections and arrest the rotation of the carrier at predetermined points.

2. An apparatus for mechanically carrying bills and accounts comprising a rotatable drum having tabular surfaces, adapted to carry bills oraccounts, an index to correspond with said' accounts, a lever movable with relation to said index and accounts and a stop carried by the lever, projections on the drum arranged out of direct alinement with each other said stop being movable with the lever into the path of a projection corresponding with the account shown on the index, and means for rotating the drum.

3. A longitudinally-slotted drum having intermediate tabular surfaces adapted to receive bills or accounts and to expose them for inspection, an index to correspond with said accounts, a lever movable with relation to said index and accounts and a stop moved in unison with the said lever, a series of projections or bumpers carried by the accountsdrum and arranged out of direct alinement with each other, whereby the stop is caused to arrest the drum, a weighted cord and a winding-dru in around which it passes, a pawland-ratchet mechanism by which it is con- 'nected with the accounts-drum, and a treadle or like device by which the rope-drum is rotated and the weight raised, said weight subsequently acting through the pawl and ratchet 

